Chapter 1: Permanently Changed...
Hermione awoke from her sleep. She scratched her head and looked at her watch. It was 5:45am, and it was also the first day of another school year at Hogwarts. Hermione groaned and grabbed her underwear and a bra and she marched to her bathroom. As she walked in her bathroom, she took off her fuzzy slippers, along with her black camisole top and her plaid pajama bottoms. She walked into the shower, and turned on the water. She squeaked as the boiling water, touched her skin. After a few minutes of constant pouring, washing, rinsing, rubbing, soaking and drying, Hermione left the bathroom. She returned to her room looking flushed, and put on her Hogwarts uniform, a plain white blouse, a grey miniskirt, and a red and gold striped necktie.
She grabbed her black book bag, and filled it with all sorts of books, her make-up case, and articles of clothing to keep her warm from the weather, rolls of parchment and other typical school things.
Hermione looked in the mirror and stared at the reflection of her face. She looked entirely different than last year; her hair was raven-black, just like Harry's and her eyes lined with eyeliner. She put on some silver earrings in the shape of a guitar. She then opened the top drawer of her dresser and put on a necklace, given to her by Harry, two years ago, since they were dating.
Hermione grabbed her wrist towel, it had been a fad to wear these, and Hermione's had the word Demented on them, in honour of her band. Hermione placed all her things in her parents' car. She sat on the kitchen counter and grabbed an apple and devoured it hungrily. She knocked on her parents' room, and told her father that she was ready. She ran from the house and entered the front seat of the car and waited for her father to come. Hermione put on her Head Girl badge on her sweater and buckled her seatbelt.
"Good morning, my Cheshire cat." greeted Hermione's father.
"Don't call me that!" blushed Hermione as her father started the car. Hermione looked outside, at the houses, with their blinds still shut, and the sun still young. Hermione's excitement faded to absolute boredom, after fifteen minutes.
Hermione fell asleep, and was awakened by her father, who was vigorously shaking her. Hermione kissed him goodbye, grabbed her things and put them in a trolley, and struggled to find the barrier for the platform. She entered the barrier, and fixed her hair into a spiky bun, as she ran to find Harry and Ron. She found them and sat down casually at beside them, at the waiting area benches.
"Hey Harry!" greeted Hermione.
"Hermione? Is that you?" answered a shocked Harry.
"Yeah, it's me." giggled Hermione, with a quizzical look, as she grabbed a bean from Ron's sack.
"What have you done?" hissed Ron.
"Uhm...It's my hair, I can do anything with my hair." reminded Hermione.
A familiar walked closely to them. It was Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin King. Hermione smiled at Ron, he dropped his sack of Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans.
"Weasley? Potter? Who's this?" demanded Draco, pointing his finger at Hermione.
"Ahem" coughed Hermione, "My name's Hermione Granger, or if you prefer, filthy Mudblood."
Draco cocked one eyebrow slightly, and then he said, "Nice hair." as he walked away, with Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle trailing off behind him. Hermione smiled as soon as he turned around.
"Hermione, are you going to sit with us?" asked Harry, still frowning, at what Draco said.
"Sorry, Harry, I can't. I've got to sit at the Head Boy and Head Girl compartment. I'll see you later, I promise." smiled Hermione, as she walked to the train.
Hermione found herself in one compartment, surrounded by one familiar face: Draco Malfoy. Hermione shrugged like it was something natural. But it was. She was a goody-good, who was smart, and he had an ego-maniac father, who would do anything to improve the Malfoy Heritage.
The ride remained silent, Hermione was listening to her cd player, and Draco was writing on a roll of parchment. She smiled to herself as she fell asleep, leaving Draco alone in the darkness.
Hermione awoke as the train bolted to a stop. Draco sat down on the floor, and motioned for Hermione to sit down quietly. Hermione sat down from across him.
"Ask me five questions, and then I'll ask you five." instructed Draco.
"Um...Okay... Do you like Pansy?" asked Hermione.
"No...I don't like her." hesitated Draco, "...Have you done it with Harry?"
"I... Uh... No!" snapped Hermione. Hermione remembered what had happened when she was with Harry. It was Ron's birthday party, she and Harry has too many butterbeers, way too much. She snapped out of her reminiscing and went back to her question. "Argh. Anyways, did you mean what you said earlier, about my hair?"
"Yeah, you look beautiful, Granger-"
"You're just saying that to please me."
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"Fine, believe what you want. Anyways..." paused Draco, "Would you mind, if I had an attempt to ki-"
Hermione turned around and she saw Harry and Ron, frowning. Draco stood back up and grimaced at them. She waved at Draco, mouthing that she would see him later and walked off.
"What was going on in there?" worried Harry, well actually to Hermione he looked more of infuriated that worried.
"Nothing. We were just talking." replied Hermione quickly, well, maybe too quickly.
"About what?" demanded Ron.
"Look, Ron, shut up! Both of you are so paranoid, I'm not an idiot you know?" drawled Hermione angrily. And then she left...
Hermione entered the Great Hall like any other student. The Head Boy and Head Girl were to stand on the platform. Gryffindor and Slytherin cheered for their representatives.
"SILENCE!" ordered Professor Dumbledore.
"We have an announcement to make." said Professor McGonagall, as she tapped her goblet with her wand.
"Yes, indeed. The Ministry of Magic has created a new rule that the Head Boy and Head Girl must stay in one room together. The same rule goes to Prefects." said Professor Dumbledore, as calmly as possible.
"WHAT?" echoed the whole room. Hermione covered her mouth with hands, and let out a gasp.
"So, the Slytherin Head Boy shall be sharing a room with the Gryffindor Head Girl, the same goes for Slytherin's male prefect and Gryffindor's female prefect." announced Professor McGonagall.
"No! It can't possibly..." gasped Harry from the table.
"It can't! T-T-That means H-Hermione is-" stuttered Ron.
"Hermione is sharing a room with Malfoy..." finished Harry.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" wailed Pansy, as she fainted into Goyle's arms.
The Head Boy, Head Girl and Prefects were told to return to their Class Tables, to watch the Sorting Ceremony. Hermione sat walked back to the Gryffindor Table, she was confused. Her mind kept telling her to pick either Harry or Draco. She stared at Harry; his face cheerful, since anything was better than living at the Dursleys. His hair was black like a raven's feathers, spiky, not styled though, it never went down. He looks a lot like James, thought Hermione in her mind silently. He put his arm around her shoulder, Hermione hung on to the feeling of his arm around her.
Hermione stared at the Slytherin Table. Draco Malfoy was also staring right back at her, his eyes staring right back at her own. Hermione could've sworn she was drowning in the grey, swirling pools in his eyes. She stared at his face, pale, accompanied with grey eyes and a pointy chin. His face was accented with his hair, platinum blonde, styled similarly like Harry's. Hermione looked away from the table, and paid more attention to the ceremony.
The feast ended at about half-past nine. Hermione walked the other Gryffindor students to the common room.
"Hello Fat Lady." greeted Hermione.
"Hello, Hermione, Congratulations on making Head Girl! Password?" replied the Fat Lady.
"Now remember your password, students. It's Moonlit Monkshood." announced Hermione to the other Gryffindor students. The portrait swung open and the students entered the Common Room. Hermione kissed Harry goodbye, and said a quick goodnight to Ron. She was about to leave, when she saw Seamus, running up the staircase.
"Bye Seamus!" called out Hermione, since he was the last student to enter the Common Room.
"Yeah, bye, and good luck with Malfoy!" laughed Seamus.
"Yeah... Um...Seamus, can I ask you a question?" asked Hermione nervously.
"Of course..." replied Seamus, turning around to face Hermione.
"Well, you might want to sit down..." suggested Hermione, as she grabbed Seamus' hand and they sat down near the staircase.
"Hermione is this about a love-" stopped Seamus, after he saw Hermione look down.
"Well..." muttered Hermione.
"But what about Harry?" paused Seamus, "Hermione, he loves you, everyone knows that..."
"But Malfoy...Malfoy...How can I even start with Malfoy?" sputtered out Hermione.
"He almost kissed you didn't he?" asked Seamus.
W-W-What?" stuttered Hermione, with wide eyes. "You think that he was about to..." Hermione couldn't say the words.
"Yes, I think he was about to kiss you." answered Seamus, "What happened in the train anyway?" Hermione sat down on the floor and Seamus joined her.
"Well... Um... He was saying something but then Harry and Ron came."
"Ah."
"I feel guilty, you know..."
"Guilt... It is normal; we all feel it for different reasons." answered Seamus.
"Yeah..." replied Hermione.
"I feel so guilty... I feel evil... A liar... A cheat... A-"
"Stop it." said Seamus firmly, "If you think that you'd be happier without Harry, Hermione, then it's the right thing to do."
"Thank you." answered Hermione, smiling a watery smile.
"No problem... You can talk to me anytime..."
"I should get going." ended Hermione. But before she left, she kissed Seamus on the cheek.
"Ahem..." coughed Seamus, "What was that for?" he continued, glowing brightly.
"For being a great friend..." said Hermione, smiling as she went up the stairwell.
